Does L-carnitine therapy add any extra benefit to standard inguinal varicocelectomy in terms of deoxyribonucleic acid damage or sperm quality factor indices: a randomized study

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate if addition of L-carnitine therapy to standard varicocelectomy adds any extra benefit in terms of improvement in semen parameters or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage.

Materials and methods: One hundred patients enrolled in this study and were randomly divided into 2 groups (50 patients in each group). In group 1, standard inguinal varicocelectomy and, in group 2, standard inguinal varicocelectomy plus oral antioxidant therapy (oral L-carnitine, 250 mg 3 times a day) were performed for 6 months. For all patients, routine semen analysis and DNA damage test of spermatozoa (by 2 methods of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling and protamine damage assay) were performed at baseline and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively.

Results: In both groups, the improvement in semen analysis parameters and DNA damage was observed, but there was not any statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in these parameters, although the slope of improvement in DNA damage was slightly better in group 2 (that was not statistically significant).

Conclusion: We observed that addition of 750 mg of L-carnitine orally daily to standard inguinal varicocelectomy does not add any extra benefit in terms of improvement in semen analysis parameters or DNA damage.